Lost Together
by GoldAlpha
Summary: Are we lost or are we free? Kate, Lilly and Humphrey are high school students who run away from their homes in search of a better life after being abused and neglected, so not the normal high school story. Rated MA for detailed gore description, violence and Lemons. Yay for a new cover image!
1. Panettiere Passing

**Hey guys, I'm taking a break from the lemon requests for a while to do this. I actually thought of this story two years ago but never wrote it. A group of three high school students struggle with different situations. Kate and Lilly come from a rich family but struggle with abusive parents. Humphrey has no parents and lives with his drunken uncle in poverty. They've all had it, and want nothing more than a fresh start. Rated M for graphic descriptions including gore, violence including abuse and murder and lemons in later chapters (I already have a motel room scene and a twist on the popular box car scenes in a few one shots but they are obviously humans in this so... plot twist? I have those in mind but I'll let you all wait). This is the kind of story that almost hurts to read and I'm sorry I made something so depressing, but it sets the scene for the good in the story. Everyone is fully human in this, not anthro. Please review to let me know what you think.**

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Chapter 1: Panettiere Passing

Kate's POV

As I lay in my bed after a typical Friday evening with my family, I don't hold onto my dreams like a normal seventeen year old teenager might. I hold onto my stomach so I won't get sick hearing my fifteen year old sister's sharp cries. Pain throbbed through every part of my body from the daily beating I had just received from my mother and father. If only his damn empire of a company knew what he did to his own children, they'd burn him to death with cattle prods like he deserved. A particularly blood curdling scream made me wince: she probably begged them to stop. I could feel the boiling tears drip down the sides of my face. She was just fifteen! What could that innocent girl possibly have done to deserve this? There was then silence. My heart raced in my chest and I felt my blood heat up. I knew that if they killed her, I would make sure their bodies couldn't be identified! Seconds passed, than minutes. I opened the drawer in my bedside table and grabbed the knife I had taken from the kitchen a few weeks ago when our father threatened to kill us if we told anyone about what happened. I refuse to call him our dad; he will never mean anything to me alive. Before I could even slide the blade from its compartment, the door burst open to reveal Lilly. I gasped: her shirt was torn mostly off and was stained with blood. Tears covered half of her face while her white hair covered the other. She was such a skinny girl; I was too, but not that skinny. How could anyone blame her though? I can hardly eat knowing our parents could have poisoned our food or anything else. How did all of this start? I can't remember. It has been most of our lives but it became really horrible when I got to middle school. I can never forget the answer to why they do it though. It was when I was laying on the floor next to Lilly when our dad finished kicking us with his cleats. I simply asked why he and mom did this to us, which earned me an answer.

"Because seeing you two squirm brings me more happiness than my money!" he answered before cracking two of my ribs. They did it for the sick thrill, that's it.

Now of course they had to keep their loving parent status, meaning when things got to that level, we were somewhat cared for. Showing up to school on Monday morning with two untreated broken ribs would look suspicious, so they took me to the hospital. Those clever bastards had it all figured out. Lilly and I played rugby as forced by our parents so our cuts and bruises would make sense, but this was one that they weren't going to get out of easy.

"Th-they know a knife is g-gone! Our m-mother cut me up!" Lilly sobbed at the door. I gasped and went over to her, helping her take the mangled bloody shirt off. I could see her boobs in the open so she obviously wasn't wearing a bra, but that hardly mattered at the moment. Three cuts were still bleeding on her back, obviously being from a knife. I felt a pit in my stomach that made me sick. She got punished for what I did.

"I d-did this to you." I said sorrowfully while I felt tears start to run down my cheeks. Lilly shook her head and clenched her fists in a rare sight to see with her: rage.

"No, our demented parents did this!" she whispered with agony. I knew she was right, and causing my little sister so much pain was the last straw for me. My teeth gritted together and I looked into Lilly's eyes with the most loving look I could give.

"We're leaving tonight. We're running away. Find anything you can to patch yourself up and pack us a few things. There's something I have to take care of first." I said bitterly, turning to leave the room. Lilly put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a desperate pleading look. She knew what I was doing.

"Kate, y-you can't..." she said. I sighed and gave her a tight hug, making sure not to touch her injuries.

"If I don't, we'll just get sent right back home. I have to." I explained. Lilly whimpered and nodded. I saw tears dripping down her face from her deep lavender eyes.

"B-be careful, I can't lose you." she said softly. I nodded and gave her cheek a kiss.

"I'll be back, just relax here and pack." I said, making my way down the dark hall.

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It was nearly midnight now and our parents had retreated to their room with the doors locked of course; the fucking cowards. The room I once feared the most was about to be my best friend. Two halls down from my room was the room I almost died in. It was when Lilly and I were being punished for trying to sneak a phone away by being starved out for five days. On the fourth day, Lilly started passing out from not eating, so I had to do something. I tried to sneak a few slices of bread and two cups of yogurt to help us out but just like the phone, I was caught. The next thing I knew, I was on my knees in a red room lined with guns, feeling the cold ring of a twelve gauge shotgun against the back of my head. I was so afraid, but not for my life. I was afraid that Lilly would be left to face the wrath of our parents alone if our father pulled that trigger, but he didn't and gave me a warning by extending the starvation another five days. Lilly and I survived by eating small wood chips, paper, dirt, carpet and whatever else we found to be remotely edible. Our only water came from Lilly and I's urine which we slightly filtered with paper since our water was turned off. Now I was glad I knew that red room existed. It was locked of course but the door wasn't tough. I took all the strength I had and kicked the handle, bending it and breaking the lock. The inside smiled like whisky and copper, fitting for my father. Turning on a light would be dangerous, so I squinted to see the weapons. I doubted my body could take the recoil of a shotgun or rifle, so I chose a low caliber pistol instead. The rounds were already loaded in, so I just turned back around with it in my hand. I had never actually shot a gun, but I had looked up every step a long time ago just in case. My heart thumped faster with every step I took.

Two halls.

I could see the light from my parent's room reflecting off of the walls. My heard felt like it was going to explode but I had to go on. I had to do it for Lilly.

One hall.

My hands shook with uncertainty and fear. Sweat threatened to let the gun drop to the floor any second. My ears now picked up on the noise of their voices.

In front of the door.

I felt the need to turn around and forget that this ever happened, but I heard them talk.

"Did you see the look on that bitch's face when I sank the knife in? I thought I was going to burst out laughing!" my father cheered. My mother laughed like it was a hilarious joke. I felt the powder forming from my grinding teeth fall on my tongue.

"Yeah, it was great! But what do you think about my idea? I'm sure the sluts would love it if their father raped them!" she laughed. I gasped and felt my rage double. I would _not _let them use Lilly nor I as sex toys!

"Yeah, I'm sure that white haired slut Lilly would just be moaning and begging for more!" my father laughed back. That was it. That was the absolute _final _fucking straw! I felt my leg lift up and kick in as hard as I could. The rest was just in slow motion. I lifted the pistol up and turned the safety off; finding the center of my father's head in the sights before he could even fully turn around. My heart thumped with the thump I felt in my hands. For a moment I just saw a white flash and felt the heat of fire against my face. It was like an exploding sun that was up close, searing my eyebrows. Once the fire faded, I could see the spray of red across the previously pure white wall above the headboard of the bed. Just for a second, I could see the hole in his head before he started to fall. My mother started to scream but I lifted the gun again, this time not so careful about aim.

_Bang!_

A red mist sprayed from her shoulder, but she was not down.

_Bang!_

The spray came out of her back and made her fall to the ground in a heap. I could feel the soft, warm metal in my hands, smoke rising from the barrel. My mother whimpered and held her stomach: familiar much? Her next words made me so relieved.

"Wh-why?" she asked pitifully. I felt myself almost crack a smile.

"So you'd know what it's like to be me; so that Lilly and I NEVER have to live with it again!" I screamed as I placed the pistol right to her head and squeezed with no regret.

_BANG!_

The sound echoed through the halls but we were so far away from anyone else that I knew no one heard the shots. She fell slowly and I felt the hot metal slip from my hands. Tears streamed down my face slowly. I didn't look again, just picked up the gun and got out, running back to my room.

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Lilly's POV

I shivered while curled in a ball on Kate's bed, feeling my heart thump hard against my chest. I felt the burn in my throat as I had just vomited on the floor after hearing four gun shots. Why were there four? Who was standing at the receiving end? Tears streamed down my face. It couldn't have been Kate. It just couldn't be.

"L-Lilly?" A quiet voice came from the door. I turned and saw my sister with a few splatters of red blood on her face. I felt like hugging her, but she feel to her knees and threw up before I could get to her. She shivered and curled up a little.

"Kate, w-we're g-going to be wanted for m-murder now, a-aren't we?" I cried. Kate looked up from being sick with glazed eyes.

"Y-yeah, but we are going to run." she said. I was slightly confused by this.

"But the police will understand why you killed them! We wouldn't be in trouble if we just turned ourselves in now!" I said. Kate shook her head slowly.

"Our father has too many connections. He had the police here under his thumb! If we get caught, we go to prison! Do you understand? We can't get caught, at least not here in New York. Do you have everything packed?" she asked. I held back the tears and nodded. Kate hugged me tightly.

"It will be okay, I promise." she whispered softly. I nodded and cried softly into her shoulder. I had already put on a new shirt but it was already soaked in blood. It would have to wait though, we had to get away. "Let's go." she said, lifting me up to my feet. I didn't even care where we were going, so long as it was away from this place. We walked through the silent halls and down the grand staircase to the door that leads to the garage. Kate grabbed a key on the way out and handed me a helmet that she picked up from the table by the door. She put one on as well and climbed onto the front seat of the moped we take to school. I climbed onto the back and held Kate's waist as she started it up and throttled us forward into the street where there was no sign of traffic.

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Kate's POV

I felt the wind against my face where the heat of the blast from earlier had hit me. I also felt Lilly hugging at my waist. However, I did not know what to feel emotionally. There was one thing I knew for sure though. The one person that knew about everything was the only person that would help us now. The only friend I have in the world and the one person who might let us spend a night: Humphrey Long.

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**Well that was intense. I felt sick writing certain portions of that but I just want you to know that this story won't be all doom and gloom. The next chapter will be Humphrey's life story (and no, no one will die in the next chapter). I hope you... enjoyed isn't the right word. I hope you found the idea intriguing and wish to continue reading. Please review to let me know what you think of this story. See you all soon.**

**-GoldAlpha**


	2. Long Gone

**Hey everyone! I know, quick update right? I didn't intend to finish this so soon but I sat down and started to type and before I knew it, I was done. So this chapter tells a little about Humphrey but not much will be said yet. I have an idea to give more background later. There are some suggestive themes in this including partial nudity and sexual reference so just a warning. Well, enjoy the second chapter of **_**Lost Together.**_

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Chapter 2: Long Gone

Humphrey's POV

Going home was my least favorite thing to do. Opening the door was like going to a dirty old bar, dusk and the scent of alcohol filling my nose. This time the front door to my uncle's apartment had a paper taped to it. I read it and sighed, ripping it off. This was going to get interesting. The door slammed shut behind me, causing my uncle to jump up from the couch. He was drunk, big fucking surprise.

"Tommy, what the hell is this?" I asked as I shoved the paper in his face. He blinked one eye at a time and hiccupped.

"Uh, a paper?" he asked stupidly. I slapped his face back and forth a few times.

"No shit, Tommy, I mean what's written on the paper! Do you want to explain to me why the hell there was an eviction notice on our door?" I asked angrily. He hiccupped again.

"Ohh right! I, uh, I was fired f-from Seven Eleven weeks ago." he said with a shrug. My eyes went wide.

"You _what?_" I asked with rage, putting my face in my hands. "Uh, you are literally the DUMBEST person ever! I appreciate you looking after me when my parents died, but you are so irresponsible!" I yelled, storming away. He was absolutely ridiculous and now we were going to be kicked out of our home. How could the day possibly get any worse? Right after the thought crossed my mind; there was a knock at the door. I knew I wasn't expecting anyone, so I looked at my uncle, who shrugged and fell back over. Without even having a care in the world anymore, I walked up and swung the door open. The sight I saw suddenly made me realize I could have had it much worse. Kate and Lilly, my only real friends, stood at my doorstep looking like death.

"H-hey, Humphrey." Kate said weakly. It was obvious that something horrible just happened to the two girls. Kate was as pale as a ghost and Lilly looked like she had just been beaten.

"What happened to you two?" I asked while motioning them to come inside. Kate just shook her head and Lilly hung hers low. It was obviously something horrible and life changing from the looks on their faces.

"I, I don't think I wanna talk about it right now…" Kate said with a little crack in her voice. Lilly stayed silent, still looking down. Kate held a bag over her shoulder but I decided not to ask about it at that moment. Closing the door behind her, I could see that the back of Lilly's shirt was stained with three long red steaks. It wasn't uncommon to see either of them with a new injury but this one looked particularly severe. I gave Kate a concerned glace, hoping they'd at least tell me about _that_. Kate looked back with her amber eyes and followed my eyes to Lilly's back. She winced a little when looking.

"What's wrong with your back, Lilly?" I asked, causing her to wince also. She looked at Kate and then slowly pulled up the back of her shirt. Now it was my turn to wince at the sight of three long cuts in her back.

"It was a punishment." Lilly said softly, a few tears slowly dripping down the side of her face. They didn't look too deep or anything but they had to hurt a lot.

"I can drive you to the hospital if you need me to." I offered, thinking that it might be best. They both suddenly had wide eyes.

"N-no, that would be a very bad idea!" Kate jumped in. I gave her a funny look and figured it must have something to do with that thing they didn't want to talk about, so I questioned it no further. The two of them had been my only friends for two years and I was the only one to ever know about their abusive parents. Sure I thought of reporting it to the police many times but I knew that nothing would be done anyway.

"Kate, if you and Lilly want to take a shower and then patch her up, you're welcome to." I offered. Both of their eyes lit up a little from the suggestion.

"You go first, Kate." Lilly said. Kate gave her a look but she walked towards the bathroom anyways, taking the bag that she brought in with her. Lilly followed me into the kitchen and jumped up on the counter, watching me. I opened the fridge and pulled out a bag of pizza rolls as that was the only food in there. The rest of the fridge was filled with cheap beer. Lilly continued to watch while I so precisely poured the entire bag onto a big plate and threw it into the microwave. The shower was running in the other room now and I could hear Kate humming some unrecognizable tune.

"Kate took a knife from the kitchen so we could protect ourselves. Our parents found out and did this to me as a punishment, saying that if it didn't get returned, they'd stab me to death in front of Kate." Lilly suddenly spoke up. Kate's upbeat humming was suddenly cut off from my ears as I listened into Lilly. "Kate had enough and told me we were running away. Soon I heard gunshots and Kate came back. She killed our parents in their room." She continued. I gasped and felt like pushing her and Kate right out the front door. This was nothing I wanted a part of. Before I could do anything rash, I remembered a promise I had made to them both: If they ever got into a tight space, I wouldn't ever leave them behind.

"I understand, but your father is really high profile. It won't stay hidden long." I said flatly. She nodded slowly.

"I know, we have to leave tomorrow." She said, swinging her legs. I would never leave them alone. Both of them had gone through hell and now they didn't have parents or a home, just like me.

"I'm going with you, you know that, right?" I asked, making Lilly look up. She shook her head.

"No, you don't need to cause yourself the trouble." she said. I grabbed my keys and pulled a map off of the shelf.

"After we eat, we are going to plan out where to go. Then, we're going to get some sleep so we can leave early tomorrow." I said, opening the map and looking around. Lilly sighed and smiled.

"Okay, but your crush in there will have to agree." She said with a little smirk on her face. I felt my face turn hot.

"My _what?_" I asked with shock. Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Humphrey, our parents might have censored us from most things, but we still went to public school. I know you like her and she seems to like you. I'm sure if you walked in there right now, she wouldn't mind at all." she teased with a wink. I only blushed deeper and didn't say anything. Yes it was true that I liked Kate and of course I would love to slip into the shower with her because I'm a guy so that makes sense, but I knew now wasn't the time to be flirty. A few minutes later, Kate walked into the room with clean clothes on. Both she and I blushed heavily.

"Those walls are thin, you ass!" she said playfully as she punched Lilly's arm gently. She heard everything, which made me blush deeper. Lilly hopped up and smiled at both of us while she walked by. Kate smiled a little and hopped up where Lilly was.

"I'm sorry if Lilly weirded you out. When she's not scared, she's like this." Kate said, rolling her eyes. Her face turned a little more serious suddenly. "I heard her tell you about what I did." she said. The flirty mood suddenly dropped and the storm cloud was back. I rubbed the back of my head.

"It's going to be tough, but I agree with what you did. Those sick bastards deserved to die. We need to leave early if we want to outrun the, uh, the discovery." I said uneasily. Earlier Kate _looked_ like she just killed someone, but now she showed no normal signs that are seen such as regret. There obviously was no regret in her eyes, just happiness; she was free. A scream came from the bathroom, but just as Kate got up to check on Lilly, a reply came.

"I'm okay; it's j-just the water against my cuts. It feels better now." she called out. Kate sighed and sat back on the counter. The microwave went off beeping. She looked a little jumpy but quickly calmed down. I smiled at her and opened the door, letting the room fill with the scent.

"Hungry?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. She didn't even open her mouth; her stomach told me exactly how hungry she was with a series of growls. A blush spread on her face again and she grabbed her stomach. I laughed and handed her the plate.

"Careful, they're hot. And try to leave some for Lilly." I said, grabbing one and tearing it in half to let it cool. Kate did the same and when it was cool enough, I have never seen someone eat a pizza roll with as much passion as she did. I smiled in more of a sad way. Kate saw me looking at her as she swallowed.

"I, uh, I haven't eaten in three days." She explained. I felt horrible that I didn't have something more suitable than pizza rolls but that was all I had. Maybe I could take them to an actual restaurant for breakfast. Kate continued to eat when Lilly came into the room, immediately grabbing a pizza roll.

"You're the best friend ever, Humphrey!" she said with a mouthful. It didn't really sound like how those words were typed but that's what she meant to say. Wait, who am I talking to? I shrugged at the strange feeling of being narrated and ate another pizza roll. We were soon done eating all of the food and both of them seemed satisfied enough.

"The medicine cabinet has some antibiotic spray, medical tape and gauze in the bathroom." I said. Kate smiled and motioned for her sister to follow her into the bedroom. I sighed and shook my head, wondering what would come out of this.

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Kate's POV

Lilly walked in front of me to the edge of the bed. The stains on her shirt had gotten to the point where they were dry and turning to more of a black. I made my way past her and into the bathroom, opening the cabinet and grabbing what I might need. Walking out, I could see that Lilly had taken her shirt off, and once again she wasn't wearing a bra. I smiled slightly. The torture was over, so why can't I lighten up a bit?

"Nice tits, sis." I giggled. Lilly's face flared up like a cherry and she covered her breasts with her hands.

"Hey, I can't wear a bra without the straps digging into my cuts!" She defended far more seriously than I was intending. I smiled and walked up, giving her a light hug, which she seemed confused by.

"I'm just joking, Lilly. I know we just went through a lot, but I think we might be free now. Things can only go up for us from here." I said, trying to sound as optimistic as I could. Lilly giggled a little. I had never heard Lilly giggle. She stopped covering herself and lay on the bed stomach down. I opened the spray bottle and aimed it at her cuts.

"OW! KAAATE!" she screamed out. I winced and kept spraying with a guilty smile.

"Sorry, I forget to warn you." I said playfully. Lilly grit her teeth with each spray.

"Yeah, _forgot._" she said with her eyes rolling. I smiled and started to lay the gauze over her cuts. She seemed happier now that she was clean and had food. Her lavender eyes were definitely brighter than before. It didn't take long for me to finish and tape everything in place. Lilly got up and yawned loudly, stretching a bit. The clock on the wall read one in the morning.

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Humphrey's POV

"I think we should go to bed now. We can plan out where to go in the morning." I said from the door. "You can both have my bed, I'll take the floor." I continued. Kate looked at the bed and smirked.

"Nonsense, it's _your_ bed! Besides, there's plenty of room for the three of us even if we have to be a little close, right Lilly?" She asked. I felt my face heat up. Lilly raised an eyebrow and leaned to me.

"I'm no expert, but I think she wants to do dirty things with you." She whispered loud enough for Kate to hear. Kate and I's faces burned with blushes.

"No Lilly! I'm just being _polite!_" she laughed. I shook my head and pulled back the covers, letting Kate climb in first. I figured I'd start a war if I let Lilly in next so I slid next to Kate, making her smile. Lilly slid on the other side and pulled the blanket over all of us. Kate flicked off the lights and snuggled against me. I couldn't help the awkward boner I had for the life of me. Sure Kate and Lilly were scarred up and a little malnourished, but they were both very beautiful when it came down to it. I suddenly saw something fly over me in the dark.

"What was that?" I asked. Kate giggled next to me.

"My bra, I can't sleep with it on. Besides, Lilly's not wearing one either." she said. Well, there went the last hope I had of getting it to go down.

"I can agree with that, but I have a _real_ reason not to wear mine! The strap digs into my cuts!" Lilly said from my other side. I sighed loudly.

"Oh, that's nice." I said. I was incredibly tempted to reach over and "accidently" squeeze one of Kate's but I knew she would know it was on purpose and as much as I wanted to try to start something, there were more important matters that had to come first. Soon I felt myself drifting to sleep between them, and I felt happy.

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**Well that concludes chapter 2! Sorry if it felt kind of rushed but I'm all too eager to get to the main plot which starts in the next chapter. One thing I noticed while writing this is that I made Kate sound like she wants to do the dirty with Humphrey way too much when I originally thought of both Kate and Lilly as being shy and a little more reserved. I'll try to make the next chapter a little less about Kate's crush on Humphrey and more about the story. The next chapter will be called **_**Road Trip **_**and it's exactly like it sounds. It may be a slightly longer chapter as I will most likely cover the whole first day. Hope you all enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think. And as always, I'm open to suggestions of what you think should happen. I won't use everything but it sure helps if I ever get into a writer's block. Thanks for reading and thanks even more if you read this bottom bit. See you in the next chapter!**

**-GoldAlpha**


	3. Road Trip

**Hey guys, I'm back. Before I get into this, I want to sincerely apologize for the lack of any updates for months now. There is no worse feeling to me than letting someone down and I feel like I've done that. The summer job I got was my first eight hour a day job and to be honest, I tried to write after work but it ended up all being junk. The physical and mental exhaustion made it too hard to think. I just finished working there and I'm going back to school tomorrow. At least now I will be able to write more consistently. I plan to set a weekly schedule so anyone interested will know when to expect updates. Well here is the third Chapter of **_**Lost Together**_** and I hope you will love it! Thank you all for the positive feedback and for the interest in this story. Well enough about my boring life. Please enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review and follow! Since it has been a while, PLEASE TELL ME IF THERE IS SOMETHING IN THIS CHAPTER OR CHAPTERS IN THE FUTURE THAT CONFLICTS WITH THE FIRST TWO! Just a quick shout-out to GodOfAllWolves. We're helping each other out a little so be sure to check out his Story "Lilly's Love Story" and he is taking lemon requests as well.**

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Chapter 3: Road Trip

Humphrey's POV

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* my alarm went off on the table next to my bed. It was early: five in the morning early. I groaned and rolled a little. My bed felt unusually warm and part of my blanket felt heavier as well. I didn't think to register last night in my mind at all and I jumped a little when there was movement on my right side. The light on my end table flicked on and my alarm ceased its miserable cry. My sleepy eyes slowly peeled open to see a beautiful blond girl snuggled up to my chest.

"Good morning, Humphrey." she yawned and stretched out a little. My mind was still not registering what on earth was happening. It wasn't like felt upset by seeing Kate Panettiere in bed next to me but that wasn't normal, was it? I then heard a yawn behind me. Lilly was laying there when I turned around. She was here too? Yep, had to be a dream.

"Good morning guys, ready to get planning?" she asked. I felt so stupid and everything came back to me. It all worried me but I knew I promised them that I would go with them. I got up and stretched out, both girls doing the same. Several joint pops later, we walked out to the kitchen. It felt a little cold. I knew that from my own nerves and by looking at Kate and Lilly's chests. I could almost get used to that whole no bra thing. The map I had put out on the table last night was still there and the uncle I had left on the couch was now on the floor, oh well. I looked at the map and found a location, putting my finger on it.

"There's a little town in West Virginia. It's about 380 miles away but we need to do some other things when we get there. For now, we should go get breakfast." I said as I rolled up the map. Kate and Lilly looked at each other, there silent language one again leaving me out.

"Okay, Lilly and I will get ready to go." Kate said, walking back to the bedroom. I followed as I had to pack as well. Lilly was throwing Kate's bra that she had taken off last night back at her with a laugh. Kate laughed and turned away from me, taking her shirt off. I looked away even though I really didn't want to. Resisting a chance to see her tits was harder than turning down a million dollars to me. She put the bra and a clean shirt on while I kept my eyes away and Lilly put a clean shirt on as well.

"You can look now." Lilly said with a little giggle. I looked back at them and saw that they were both smiling a little. They were teasing and knowing smiles. Damn and I thought they had no clue. In some way that little smile reassured me that they were going to be okay though, so I didn't say anything. They threw their stuff in their bag and walked past me. I packed a few things such as clothes and my toothbrush. We'd have to stop somewhere to get Kate and Lilly things like that. Once my bag was packed, I joined them in the other room.

"Well if you guys are ready to go, my car is in the parking garage around the corner." I said, hoping we could leave soon as my stomach growled at me.

"Yeah, let's go! But, uh Humphrey, where are we eating?" Kate asked. I shrugged and thought for a second.

"Probably just the Bob Even's up the street, why?" I asked. Kate blushed and looked down.

"Well, it's just that Lilly and I have never been to a restaurant before and I guess we don't, uh, get how it works." she admitted with embarrassment. I was surprised. Sure I knew their parents were abusive and starved them at times but I would have thought to keep up the happy rich family gimmick they'd have to be seen at a restaurant before.

"Oh, I see. That's okay; I'll explain it when we get there." I said, earning thankful smiles from them both. I grabbed my keys and led them out of the door, leaving a note for my uncle, telling him I'd be gone for a while. The big city could be seen in the distance, buzzing with life. It was quite the contrast to the quiet emptiness of my uncle's apartment complex. We descended the three flights of stairs to the ground level and walked over to a garage that was next to the building. I opened the door with my pin code to reveal my most prized possession: my dad's 2007 Dodge Charger that he left me in his will. It was a beautiful car, and Kate and Lilly seemed confused by it.

"How on earth do you have such a nice car?" Lilly asked. I smiled slightly.

"My dad" I said sadly. Lilly looked a little ashamed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." she apologized. I shook my head and walked over to the driver door.

"It's no problem, Lilly. We all carry some kind of pain. Now let's feed you two." I said as I got in. Lilly got in the seat behind the driver's side of the car while Kate slid into shotgun. I put my key into the ignition and turned it, sighing at the satisfying roar of the V8 coming to life. The radio was on and it started blasting _Runaways_ by All Time Low. I was about to turn the radio off but Kate grabbed my hand. Her eyes were wide.

"Lilly and I haven't heard much music, so, can it stay?" she asked hopefully. I gave her a reassuring smile and nodded.

"Sure Kate, I'll leave it on as long as you guys want." I said, putting my car into drive. It lurched forward into the street and I turned left, heading to the Bob Even's a few blocks away. Kate and Lilly seemed zoned out as they listened to the music attentively. What could that even be like, not being able to hear music for so long? That would literally be the death of me. I didn't say anything so they could just enjoy the sound of the music that they seemed to love so much. The restaurant wasn't far so we were there within five minutes, much to Kate and Lilly's disappointment.

"Awe dang it I hope there's some kind of music playing inside." Kate said with a disappointed sigh. I smiled and laughed.

"Even if there isn't, you can listen all you want once we hit the road." I said, causing Kate to smile. She suddenly embraced me in tight, unexpected hug.

"Th-think you so much for everything you're doing for us, Humphrey." she said while a tear dripped down her cheek. I hugged back and smiled.

"This is what friends do for each other. They never let another friend suffer, at least not alone." I said caringly. Kate nodded and pulled away, turning towards the building, Lilly following next to us.

The inside of the restaurant was a typical sight for me. I normally came into the place once or twice a week as it was really the only source of real food I could get. There was a fairly normal buzz of families and people dressed up in suits; presumably stock brokers eating before a busy day. A tall waitress came up to us and held a clipboard in her hand.

"How many in your party?" she asked cheerfully. Kate and Lilly both seemed slightly confused by this question, so I spoke up.

"Three, please." I said. The waitress nodded and motioned for us to follow. Kate and Lilly practically stayed right on my heels.

"My name is Daria and I will be serving you today." She said with a wide smile, setting three menus in the booth table. The sisters slid in together on one side while I sat on the other. The waitress was about to speak again but I cut her off.

"Can you come back in a few minutes? My friends here are not from around here and don't quite know how this works." I asked politely. She looked at Kate and Lilly, who shyly looked away, and then back to me and nodded before walking away. Kate raised an eyebrow.

"Not from around here?" she asked jokingly. I shrugged indifferently.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? Now here are the drinks. They will ask you about that first." I said, pointing to the page. They both scanned over the options and smirked every once in a while.

"I've never had orange juice before." Lilly said. No music and no orange juice. How did they survive?

"Neither have I. I think I'll try it." Kate said with her sister nodding in agreement. I flipped the page and showed them the breakfast menu.

"Now this is the part that will blow your mind. Pick anything here and below the name in the description. It will tell you what it is and has a picture of that option." I explained. Both of them seemed to have their minds blown into outer space as soon as they looked. I smiled and looked at my own menu while they pointed and smiled. The waitress came back with the same smile, ready to write down what we wanted.

"Ready for drinks?" she asked. I nodded and looked up.

"I'll have coffee, black." I said while leaning back slightly. She then turned to Kate and Lilly, who seemed slightly panicked about talking to a stranger.

"Um, I'll h-have orange j-juice." Kate said almost inaudibly, but the waitress heard her.

"S-same" Lilly said while slowly sinking into the seat. With a few more wrist flicks and a smile, the waitress left. I looked at the two and smiled.

"We should come up with a list of things you guys need to get for the road. Things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, er, uh, and any _feminine_ products you might need." I said. They both looked at each other.

"Feminine products, like what?" Lilly asked. A dry feeling suddenly came into my throat. I couldn't believe this.

"Y-you know, like, UH! Why do I have to say this? I'm a _guy!_ I don't want to talk about this. Do you need, like, tampons or pads or something?" I asked with disgust. Both of them sort of just rubbed the back of their heads.

"Uh, Humphrey, we've never used tampons or pads before…" Lilly said shyly. I would have chocked if we had been eating already.

"Th-then what did you do when you, you know?" I asked, not sure what else to say. Lilly blushed and said nothing.

"Uh, p-plugged up the best we could with what we could find?" Kate said shyly. I felt slightly sick. The waitress suddenly showed up.

"Ready to order?" she asked cheerfully, turning to me. I waved my hand.

"I, ah, lost my appetite…" I said quietly, earning slightly guilty looks from Kate and Lilly. After nodding to them with my eyes as to say it was okay, Kate looked at her menu and hummed.

"I, I th-think I'll give the Sunshine Skillet a go." she said with less of a nervous tone than the drinks were ordered in. Daria nodded and turned her gaze on Lilly, who unlike Kate was still almost squirming in her seat. Daria gave her a warm smile.

"What can I get you, honey?" she asked softly. Lilly appeared to swallow hard.

"I, uh, I'll just h-have the sa-same thing." she mumbled out before slouching in her seat. Daria once again gave a gentle nod before heading off.

"See? That wasn't too bad. You girls will get used to this in no time." I said, playfully nudging Kate. Lilly smiled slightly while her blush started to slowly diminish.

"Yeah, I hope so. But what a-about... our p-parents? When someone f-finds them..." Kate stated in a whisper, obviously starting to face the reality that her parents were dead and she pulled the trigger. Her hands were starting to shake and Lilly started to panic as well. Quickly but gently, I grabbed both of their hands and squeezed.

"Hey, no matter what is going to happen, we'll face it together." I said, looking deeply into Kate's hazel eyes and then to Lilly's lavender eyes.

"O-okay... but if we ever get... a-arrested, I don't want you t-to get blamed." Kate said, squeezing my hand back. I shook my head.

"I'll be with you to the very end." I said, looking deeply into her eyes again. Man, those eyes always got me. They were beautiful and were perfect in such a beautiful girl. Now it was my turn to blush and look away, knowing my feelings for her but also knowing that it wasn't the right time to admit them. My life was so full of gray clouds right now, blacking out the rays of this life I wanted for Kate, Lilly, and myself. If their parents weren't abusive and mine were alive, we would probably be hanging out at the pool with a bunch of friends right now. That was not our lives, however. The reality of it was we were running away from the pain and suffering to scrape up whatever happiness there was left in the world for us before it was too late. Like most of the time, something interrupted my thoughts.

"Alright, two Sunshine Skillets! Enjoy!" Daria said, setting the plates down in front of Kate and Lilly. Slowly, they each lifted a fork and took a scoop of the breakfast food, looking at each other before taking a bite. Maybe breakfast was the answer to all problems because they went from looking nervous and depressed to happy and excited. Their forks became windmills: scooping up bites, eating them, and going right back for more. I laughed a little at the sight, but also felt saddened by the reason they were so hungry.

Kate and Lilly finished their food in what must have been record time. I paid at the register and we left.

"S-sorry if I grossed you out with the whole… tampon thing. That sort of thing is just a reality of survival for us." Kate said with embarrassment. I shook my head.

"It's okay, I understand. But just promise me that you'll start using something besides 'whatever you can find'?" I asked. Kate nodded as we got into the car. I started it up and made sure the radio was on. "First we have to stop at the bank so I can get some money out. Then, we'll hit the road and go shopping for clothes and anything else you guys need when we get to West Virginia." I said. The bank was a short drive away. It was a tall gray building with stone pillars. "I'll be right back." I said to the girls as I got out and went inside.

A few minutes later, I came out with an envelope full of money. Kate looked at it with a funny look.

"Why cash?" she asked. I smirked.

"We aren't going to want anyone to know where we are and cards will tell that." I explained. "I got $2,000 to start us off with the first few days. I got it in fives, twenties, fifties, and hundreds so we can suit what we're buying."

Kate nodded. "So, what else haven't you guys done that you want to?" I asked. They looked at each other with wonder.

"V-visit the ocean." Lilly said dreamily.

"Camp" Kate said with a smirk. "And learning to swim."

I smiled at that. "Well I'm sure we'll run across a pool sometime soon. Would you want me to teach you?" I asked. I had never seen anyone get so excited about something so simple.

"Heck yeah we do!" Kate laughed. I laughed too and tried to calm them down. "Okay, okay. We'll get you guys some bathing suits when we shop. Preferably bikinis…" I said jokingly, being quiet on the last part. Kate gasped and smacked me playfully.

"Humphrey, you're such a weirdo!" she laughed, leaning over and kissing my cheek.

"A cute weirdo." Lilly added from the back. I blushed while Kate giggled.

"That he is, Lilly. That he is." she smirked, just making me blush deeper. A few minutes of silence went by before Kate spoke up.

"So where are we going after West Virginia?" Kate asked. I thought for a moment.

"Eh, don't know. Maybe we'll be a reverse Wizard of Oz." I said, laughing a little at my joke. There was no other laughter, just confused glances. I sighed and shook my head. "We need to go see a movie soon." I said with a little smirk. Kate and Lilly looked at each other with confused glances.

"What?" they both asked at the same time. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"That was a movie reference from The Wizard of Oz. It means maybe we'll go to Kansas." I explained. Kate made an "O" with her mouth.

The next few hours were filled mostly with silence as Kate and Lilly both drifted to sleep. I turned off the radio soon after they did so nothing could disturb them. After the traumatic experiences that they had been through, I felt that they certainly deserved it. There were challenges ahead of us, no doubt. Yet seeing the two girls that had been some of my only true friends in life peacefully entranced in near harmonious slumber, I had a feeling that everything was going to be okay for the three of us. Though the line between dreams and reality is sometimes thin, and I may have lost track of which is which. Time slipped my mind and before I even realized what time it was, we were there.

"Guys, wake up. We're there now." I said, just loud enough to wake the other two in the car. Kate shot up quickly, looking around in a panic before she realized where she was and wiped the drool off of her cheek. Lilly's head popped up in my rearview mirror, hair covering most of her face.

"Mmm did you have to wake us up now? We can shop tomorrow; let's just get to the motel." Kate said as she stretched out. Lilly yawed from the back, nodding without adjusting her hair any. We didn't need anything right away that the motel wouldn't have.

"Well, okay. I guess we should since it's eight right now." I said after looking at the clock on my dashboard. The town was very small with only two stop signs: quite the contrast to our former home. Besides that, there were two restaurants, one motel, a gas station, a small shopping center, and a handful of homes. I pulled into the motel and up into a parking spot. My car was the only one in the entire lot.

"Come on, I want to go to sleep again." Lilly said as she practically fell out of the car. Kate rolled her eyes at me before we both got out. The place didn't seem all the bad. A little old, but not poorly kept. The three of us walked in, feeling the pleasant pulses of air-conditioning. There was only one guy at the front desk, who was dead asleep. I shot a grin at the girls before bringing my hand down on the bell that was placed on the desk. The loud noise that ensued caused the lazy employee to jump up.

"C-can I help you?" he asked stupidly, pushing up the thick glasses that had slid down his nose.

"Yeah, one double room, please." I said, pulling out my wallet to pay. The man, apparently named "Hutch" according to his nametag, looked at me and then Kate and Lilly.

"The three of you are sharing a room?" He asked skeptically. I looked up from my billfold and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yes? Is there a problem?" I asked. He laughed and shook his head.

"No, of course not, bro! But how the fuck did you get that lucky?" he asked with interest, resting his head on his hands like a kid ready to hear a story. Kate shot me a funny look, apparently not getting what was going on either.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked. He just kept looking at me.

"I mean the three of you are obviously not just here for sleep, are you?" he snickered. I got what he was saying now. Kate giggled slightly.

"Those are my sisters!" I lied, trying to make the guy shut up before he said something I would regret. The creepy man just slapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm not judging or nothing'!" he grinned wildly. I stared, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"J-just give us the key!" I growled. He threw his hands up.

"Okay, okay! It's fifty bucks for the night." he said, ceasing his perverted implications. I pulled out a fifty and grabbed the key out of his hand. He didn't say a word more to me as I lead my "sisters" to our room, which was thankfully very far from the front desk. Once I opened the door, Lilly went in right away, practically body slamming into the nearest bed.

"I'm going to sleep, so keep it down." she said, although barely audible through the pillow she had her face in. Kate giggled at her sister's actions and turned to me.

"I think I'm going to try and get a little more sleep too. Just… I don't know how to thank you enough f-for all you've done f-for my sister and I. Y-you saved us." she said to me as a few tears streaked across her face. I gave a warm smile and gently pushed a finger to her lips.

"I will always be there for you both. Goodnight, Kate." I said softly. Lilly was already snoring softly, indicating her current state of comatose. Kate wiped away her tears and leaned in, kissing my on the cheek softly.

"Goodnight, Humphrey" she said. And with that, she climbed into the bed with her sister while I took the one adjacent to theirs. I reached to the middle and switched the light off. With the dimming of light came the dimming of thought, and soon I joined my friends in the realm of sleep. Tomorrow was the beginning of the rest of our lives, but tonight was a break from reality, which we all needed most of all.

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**Guys, I know that it should not have taken so long to update this. It didn't turn out quite like I wanted and I may go back to rewrite it if I find the time. But why live in the past when we can look forward to what is to come? This being said, I have created a schedule that should keep me on track as much as I can. **_**Lost Together**_** will get a new update every Friday and **_**Lemon Requests However You want**_** will get a new finished request every Wednesday or Friday with the Lost Together Chapter. I can't guarantee that I will be able to hold to this every week, but I promise the three month wait will not happen again without a good notice. I hope this chapter was enjoyable even though it is mostly filler. From here on for a while, things start to get a little more serious as the reality of what had happened catches up with the three teens. There will be break downs, build ups, and maybe a few unexpected turns. The next chapter will be called "**_**Peaceful Dreams**_**" but I'm not saying a word more. I can't wait to get back to writing for you guys!**

**-GoldAlpha**


	4. Silent Night, Nightmare Night

** Hey everyone! Before I get into this, I know the first thing to address is where I have been for the last two months or so. Well I won't bore you with the details but my depression has been rough lately. Today, I took a math test and when I handed it in, I already knew I failed even though I am really good at math when I try. No one really knew how depressed I was, and I finally broke in front of a good friend of mine and cried for nearly half and hour. I came to fanfiction in the first place to let my thoughts and experiences be shared through my writing (but no, my parents are not abusive. I mean just the feelings I have turn into this type of thing) That being said, I'm back and I promise to fight through this not only for myself, but for you guys as well. If you are going through something similar, please feel free to PM me because everyone deserves a friend to lean on. So I realized that the original chapter four was somewhat confusing. I wrote it late at night mostly and wasn't thinking too much about it. So instead of hopelessly trying to pull the story back on course from that strange chapter, I decided to rewrite the entire thing. The idea of it all taking place in a dream is still valid, but this way will fit with the rest of the story more smoothly. I apologize if this isn't my absolute best writing as I have not had practice writing in a while now. Enjoy it and I'll do my best to keep writing. This chapter is a bit short also because I have to ramp up more ideas. Don't forget to review and follow/favorite!**

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Chapter 4: Silent Night, Nightmare Night

Kate's POV

As I lay in bed after all we had been through, I tried to grasp dreams like a normal seventeen year old teenager might. This night, instead of hearing Lilly's sharp cries of agonizing pain, I was close enough to hear her breathing softly and normally. Instead of fearing every second that has been, is, and will come, I felt a sense of peace for the first time in many years. For the time being, I knew my sister was safe and sound, and that was half of the weight on my shoulders alone. Suddenly yet softly, a rushed yet soothing feeling descended through my body from my head to toes. It was a feeling I knew but had not experienced in a long time. Sleep took control, pulling my eyelids down with the weight of my past.

Most people are afraid of the dark at some point in their life. Small children fear the boogieman hiding in their closet or the monster under their bed. Lilly and I lacked any such fear. The monsters we had to be afraid of lived in the day. We used to call them mom and dad. Used to.

Under the dreary moonlight seeping through the tattered curtains in my room, I could safely coddle my little sister until we slept. Well, passed out more accurately defines it. Some nights we cried. Others we just sat, basking in the only good thing in either of our lives. Lilly held strong despite her small physique, always being my shoulder to cry on. The flower of innocence became corrupt early in our lives. I vividly remember the first time I witnessed her being beaten with a strip of leather at the tender age of five.

Once we fell asleep, I sometimes dreamed of what our lives could have been if we were granted the luxury of a caring family. Maybe instead of running away from the repercussions of murdering my parents, I'd be planning for college. Maybe the rain would be a symbol of replenishing life rather than a reminder of my own terminal imprisonment. Maybe Lilly could have been a cheerleader who wasn't wise about choosing boyfriends and I would have to be _that_ older sister who keeps telling her to keep her legs closed. Maybe.

That reality seemed far better, because I wasn't strong enough to be there for Lilly all the time like a big sister should be. Lilly became the glue which held me to the world from the first time I saw leather hitting her bare skin. I knew that if I were alone though it all, my parents would have found me dead in the bathtub with my wrists cut or maybe hanging with a broken neck out of my bedroom window. It's probably what they wished for anyway.

My eyes fully fluttered shut. A vague vision blurred in my head. The outline of a body, obviously female, centered in the shot while a taller male figure hovered over her.

"Are you afraid of me, girl?" the male figure asked. A sharp crack followed and the female's body arched.

She didn't move at all for a moment as if petrified in stone. "I, I'm not afraid of you! B-but I am afraid f-for my sister!"

The voice registered itself with me. Clouds swirled for a second and the image was clear. Lilly sat on her knees with nothing on above her waist. Blood trickled down her scarred back. She heaved heavily but didn't let our father, who was the man standing above her, have the pleasure of seeing her pain.

Our father slapped her face rather hard. "Shut up you whore, or she'll be right next to you!"

I couldn't do a thing. Being there simply as a witness, I could only watch. A growl rumbled in my throat as he moved on.

He reached down and cupped her left breast, spreading the blood over her pale mound. Another few squeezes and he moved on to the right one.

Lilly sat with a blank stare, letting him violate her if it meant keeping him away from her older sister.

Our dad laughed and gave her boob a painful looking grab. "A shame such nice tits had to be wasted on a completely useless bitch! Now go and tell your sister what happened and that next time I catch one of you stealing, I'll crush your hands with a vice while I fuck her whore cunt right in front of you!"

The image faded to black. If I had a body in this, this nightmare, I'm sure it would be shaking. That night was more real than a nightmare about a month ago when it happened. I never actually saw Lilly being whipped and violated, but she told me and wept into my shoulder until she fell asleep. My plan to kill our parents started on that night, seeing her half naked with blood trickling down her back. A fire burning like the fires of a thousand suns lit when I saw her like that. I bandaged her wounds the best I could gently while she slept in my arms.

Wind brushed against my face, blurring my vision for a second before I saw Lilly again, this time she was leaning over a workbench of some sort. Not a muscle on her body moved, but at least I could this time. I took one step toward her, then another. "Lilly?"

My call caused a violent turn of Lilly's head. Her eyes seethed with rage and pain. She gritted her teeth so that they became a powder in her mouth. "You! This is all _your_ fault!"

My heart ceased to beat in my chest. Lilly never said those words to me before. If someone even had to hold any blame, it was our parents or both of us together. Our eyes remained locked in a fiery standoff, and I was losing. I took a slow pace around her as to be cautious of her strange behavior. Only what I saw in my peripheral vision could have ever torn me apart from keeping my eyes on Lilly. They snapped to her hands immediately.

Both of them were in claps, which were fully shut. The mangled mess of blood and broken bones made my stomach churn. Her fingers twitched slightly, at least the ones that were still attached.

I stumbled back and held my hand firmly against my lips. This couldn't be happening. Not after all we had already been through together.

"Now you get to bend over that table and take me, slut, while she watches!" the voice of my father bellowed behind me.

Before I could turn around, my body flew through the air and landed painfully against the table. I tried to left my head, but my father's hand slammed it back onto the table next to some of Lilly's severed fingers. My vision went dark.

I sat up quickly, feeling my body soaked in sweat. My lungs ached from breathing so heavily. A glance to the right revealed Lilly, sitting up and staring at me with her classic "I'm concerned" look. I grabbed her in a flash, hugging her body as tightly as ever. Her hands were still there, gentle rubbing my back.

"Shhh, it will be okay. No one is going to hurt you or me." she cooed like a mother to a sick child. Her hands kept rubbing my back.

I tried to rub her back as I cried, but she flinched when I did. Her injuries, right. "S-sorry. I, I had a really b-bad dream."

Lilly actually giggled and kissed my cheek. "I can tell. Do you want to talk about it?"

I looked to my left where the alarm clock was. It was about four in the morning. At least I managed to get more sleep than I usually did, which meant I would be fine not getting more. "I, I guess so."

Lilly smiled and nudged me. "And I'd love to listen and help however I can, but you stink a little from sweating. You want to take a shower first?"

The feeling of a hot shower sounded nice, but I felt myself tense up. Even though that dream was completely fake, a fabrication of my own imagination, it felt too real to ignore. I couldn't let my little sister out of my sight. "I would really like one, but, but I don't want to leave you out of my sight."

Lilly smiled and pulled on my arm. "Then I'll go in with you. I'll sit on the toilet so we can still talk while you get cleaned up."

My heart melted. Through everything, Lilly has been my sister, best friend, and even my rock. "What did I do to deserve a sister like you?"

She pulled me to my feet, our eyes held to each other. "You deserve it because we both deserve each other. If nothing else, we at least deserve that."

We tiptoed around Humphrey's bed to the bathroom where Lilly sat down on the toilet like she said she would. I started to strip without telling her to look away. She's seen me naked a million times before anyway.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm jealous of your boobs?" she suddenly asked after I removed my bra.

I smirked and dropped the clothing to the floor. "And why would you be jealous of something so minor in our type of life?" My hands rested on my hips and my hair flowed behind my head, leaving the mounds on my chest exposed.

Lilly rolled her eyes at my obvious intention to flaunt my feminine features. "_Because,_ Ms. Show Off, even though we don't have a normal life at all, part of me wishes that we could fight over stupid things like that. You know, like Reba and Janice at school?"

I giggled to myself at the memory of those two sisters always accusing the other of getting breast implants or achieving "maximum sluttiness". Those comments never seemed funny to me when they happened but looking back, they were one of the few lighthouses in the storm of my existence. "Okay, yeah my boobs are bigger, but yours are fine, Lils. Trust me."

Lilly smiled and squeezed her own breasts for a second before looking back at me. "Aren't you going to flaunt your ass too?"

I pulled my underwear off and rolled my eyes. The curtain was already open, so I stepped in and closed it. The faucet appeared to be from some desolate and long forgotten civilization ten million light years away. I struggled with the strange contraption momentarily before feeling the shock of cold water on my back "Cold, cold, cold, cold!" I chanted while desperately trying to adjust the temperature.

Lilly giggled on the other side, trying her best not to break into an all-out entourage of hilarity. (Yay my writing style is coming back to me )

I gazed over at her through the transparent section of the shower curtain. "You laugh now, but I won't tell you how to work this thing now so it will get you too!"

An evil, squirming smile crept across her smug face. "Oh, I don't mind the cold. But the hot water always sucks." She reached behind her slickly and flushed the toilet.

Immediately the water became scolding hot and I jumped to the back of the shower where the water could not get me. "I _will_ get you for this when we learn to swim tomorrow!"

Her smirk dropped fairly fast. "Kate, do you still want to talk about, you know, your dream?"

The silence broke only for the sound of running water. I nodded slowly almost as if my nightmare would become true. A deep, misty breath filled my lungs. "I, in dream, er, nightmare really, d-dad's threat a few months ago to crush y-your hands and rape me in front of you, was real."

Lilly covered her mouth as her eyes grew wide. "O-oh my god, Kate. It, it won't ever happen, It can't."

I shook my head. "I didn't care about being raped. The only thing that mattered in that moment was getting help for you and if that meant taking it, I would have taken it. But your hands being crushed and the thought of being raped by dad didn't break me. Wh-what broke me is that in the dream; y-you were screaming 'It's all your fault!' at me."

Again the running water dominated the silence. Lilly glared at me solemnly. "Kate, if you stole for us and mom and dad shot me in the head for it, I'd die not blaming you because at least you would be trying to make things better for us. I will never blame you for anything they did to us."

My chest clenched and twisted. To be fixed, I first had to break. I shut off the water stepped slowly out of the shower door. My hand extended to my little sister in invitation.

We looked at each other, eye to eye. She could read my mind, always could. Her arms cradled my shivering, dripping wet body with more affection than she had shown in a long time. The clothes she was wearing quickly became soaked, but she didn't let go.

"We will make it together..." she whispered breathily into my ear as my sobs into her shoulder became heavier. "I promise."

As a new day dawned on earth, a dark day of ours ended. I could only hope that Lilly was right.

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** Aaaaaand that's it for now. The reason I chose to write this chapter over skipping straight to the events of what will be in the next chapter is that I wanted to establish how Kate and Lilly act together when they are alone and not fearing for their lives. Their personalities are based off of two of my cousins who are sisters and this is exactly how they fight: childish sabotage and petty insults about each other's breasts. The scene where Lilly flushes the toilet to turn up the heat of the water to mess with Kate was inspired by it happening to me at my grandparent's house when I was young and my cousins wanted to mess with me. Although in a modern building, this sadly doesn't work anymore. Well thank you all for reading this chapter and if you liked it or didn't like it, let me know. These stories are just a vent for me and I won't take personal offence to some criticism (but please do be nice). The next chapter will be kind of relaxed and fun. It will make you feel like playing with a box of puppies. But it will not always be like that. Dark times are coming soon, and the true plot will run the rest of the story until the very end when, well, I can't ruin it now can I? This whole story will probably be 20+ chapters and I'll keep going for as long as I can reasonably stretch the plot. See you all soon!**

** -GoldAlpha**


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